


When You Find Me

by scriobh



Category: The Maze Runner (2014), The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-05-29
Packaged: 2018-01-27 00:16:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1707863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scriobh/pseuds/scriobh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Newt and Thomas are oblivious and their friends are impatient.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When You Find Me

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to so-many-freaking-contradictions on tumblr for the prompt: Could you write one about Newtmas being into each other obvious to everyone else but not themselves? Preferably with fluffy making out at the end.
> 
> I hope I fulfilled this to your satisfaction :)
> 
>  
> 
> You'll recognize part of the dialogue from the book, so all credit to James Dashner for that part of the story and all characters/settings.

Alby was the first to notice. 

Every month, a new teenage boy was sent up through the Box hole.  Newt would take them under his wing, make them feel understood and included and make sure that they found a place in the workings of the Glade.  He was easily likeable and was quick to befriend others as well, which helped the new boys to get settled, showing them that they had a friend in this strange new world.  But that was just Newt.  This thing that he had with the new Greenie… it perplexed Alby. 

Thomas had only been in the Glade for a couple days and everything was already changing.  A lot of the Gladers, Alby included, were prepared to blame him for the deviations from their norm—the new girl arriving in a coma, the note that stated she would be the last person to come ever, and everything else that was changing for the worse.  Newt, however, didn’t seem to blame him one single bit.  He acknowledged that the timing was suspicious, but he claimed that Thomas was not at fault when Alby brought it up to him, stating that the boy was just as clueless about what was happening as any of them, if not more so for being new.  But still, Alby couldn’t help but feel that Newt had already decided to place some unfounded trust in the new boy.

He took note as Newt left early one morning to get Thomas, looking just a tad too happy about his job that allowed him to spend some time with the boy.  Later that night when he was stopping by Frypan’s kitchen to get dinner, he spotted the two walking together, Newt smiling brighter than he had since before he had taken the jump that left his ankle permanently damaged. 

He narrowed his eyes as he watched them, seeing Thomas let out a laugh and nudge Newt’s side as they carried on, Newt explaining the answer to another of Thomas’ complicated and ceaseless stream of questions.  Sure, Newt was friendly with the newcomers, but he generally got as fed up with their questions as the rest after a time.  There was no way to remain patient after two years of having to answer the same shallow questions month after month, but Newt didn’t even seem slightly annoyed by Thomas’ inquisitiveness.

As Newt glanced over and met his eyes, he nodded to his friend, who in turn smiled back at him.

“Looks like you two are getting friendly,” he said carefully, not wanting to sound like he was accusing them of anything.

“Yeah, it’s really good to have someone explain what’s going on to me,” Thomas replied, seemingly made nervous by Alby’s presence. 

Newt, having known Alby better, caught onto the slightly resentful and implicating nature of his friend’s tone.  He raised his eyebrows at the elder boy, who merely shook his head and gestured toward the kitchens.

“Why don’t you go get some dinner, Greenie.  I need Newt for a minute.”

“I—okay,” Thomas stammered, glancing at the blond before making his way toward where the other boys were gathered for their meal.

“You like him.” Alby said immediately, folding his arms across his chest.

Newt merely shrugged.  “Sure.  He’s a far sight smarter than a lot of the other shanks here.  It’s nice to have people who can actually figure a lot of this out instead of cryin’ like a baby cause they don’t understand.  He’s just going along with it, already eager to help out.”

Alby stared at him for a moment before speaking again.  “Listen, I’m good if you’re happy, okay?  Just… if it turns out there’s something wrong ‘bout him, try not to be too heartbroken.”

Newt’s face instantly shifted into an expression exuding confusion, but he replied all the same. “Yeah… thanks, ya bloody slint head.  I guess.” He shook his head.  “Let’s go eat.” He started off, Alby slowly beginning to follow him and knowing that the boy had not gotten his point in the slightest.

\---

Chuck caught on next.

Alby and Minho had been missing within the Maze all day, and Newt was clearly panicking but trying to conceal it from the others.  He had been withdrawn for the last few hours, knowing as the rest did that if the two were not back yet, they were likely dead. 

Newt’s two closest friends had been taken from him, and if they did not return, then he would be forced to assume the position of leader immediately after losing the people most important to him.  The situation was made worse by the fact that he couldn’t go out to look for them himself.  Even if it weren’t forbidden, he could never make it in time with his injured leg.  Chuck, along with many of the other Gladers, was certain that this event could potentially break their previously unshakeable second-in-command.

Chuck was having trouble stomaching his meal while the people who had become his family over the last month were missing, and he was about to excuse himself when Thomas spoke up next to him.

“I can’t stand sitting here while they’re out there missing.” He announced, getting out of his seat.  “I’m going over to watch the Doors with Newt.” He turned and walked out, and Chuck jogged after him as he bee lined toward the blond waiting at the West Door to the Maze.  He was pacing about and his hands shook slightly, and he didn’t immediately notice the two as they approached him.

Thomas froze for a moment when they were a few yards away, and Chuck watched him simply stare at the elder in despair before making himself walk up to him.

Newt spun around the moment he heard them, eyes gliding past Chuck to land on Thomas.  “Where _are_ they?” his voice shook and his eyes were bloodshot, and Chuck was certain that there were tears forming in his eyes that he simply refused to let spill.  He hadn’t felt sorrier for a person before, not even Ben when he was about to be banished.

Thomas raised his arms for a second, as if about to hug Newt, but then he hurriedly dropped them back to his sides, cheeks flushed red.  “I—why don’t we send out a search party?” he suggested, though he already had before.  Chuck supposed that, now it was desperate, Thomas just wanted to do _something_.

“Bloody hell,” Newt closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.  “We can’t.  Okay?  One hundred percent against the rules.  Especially with the buggin’ Doors about to close.” His voice broke in the last sentence, and Thomas’ expression of pity only deepened. 

“But why?  Won’t the Grievers get them if they stay out there?  Shouldn’t we do something?”  Thomas asked desperately, and at this point, Chuck willed him to simply shut up and stop making it worse by reminding Newt of everything he couldn’t do for his best friends.

Newt rounded on Thomas then, grabbing his shirt in his fists and knocking them both back a couple steps.  “Shut your hole, Greenie!  Not a bloody week you’ve been here!  You think I wouldn’t risk my life in a second to save those lugs?” he demanded, fury and devastation battling within him.

Thomas’ hands closed gently around his wrists even as he looked stunned by the outburst.  “No, I… Sorry, I didn’t mean…” he trailed off, staring right back into Newt’s eyes as the fire dimmed from them and his grip loosened.

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath to steady himself, slowly releasing Thomas’ shirt.  He squeezed his shoulder as he spoke again, much softer this time.  “You don’t get it yet, Tommy.” Chuck was surprised that Thomas allowed the nickname from the boy, but he decided that he simply didn’t want to upset Newt more by protesting something trivial.  “Going out there at night is beggin’ for death.  We’d just be throwing more lives away.  If those shanks don’t make it back…”   he took another shaky breath, and he and Thomas both released each other, the elder’s hands sliding down Thomas’ chest back to his sides.  “Both of ‘em swore an oath, just like I did.  Like we all did.  You, too, when you go to your first Gathering and get chosen by a Keeper.  Never go out at night.  No matter what.  Never.” He reverted back into his leader-mode with that, and Thomas glanced back at Chuck.

“Newt won’t say it, so I will.” Chuck said.  “If they’re not back, it means they’re dead.  Minho’s too smart to get lost.  Impossible.  They’re dead.” He couldn’t miss how Newt flinched at his words, but they were true, no matter how painful.

“The shank’s right,” Newt admitted quietly.  “That’s why we can’t go out.  We can’t afford to make things bloody worse than they already are.” He clasped the back of Thomas’ neck for a second.  “The Doors close in two minutes.” He said solemnly, tears filling his eyes.  Thomas’ heart shattered for him.  Before he could come up with anything even relatively comforting to say, Newt began to slowly walk off.

Chuck, from where he had started to walk away moments before the elder, turned back to see this exchange, realizing the implications of the pet name, the comforting touches, and Newt’s happiness before this day.  He silently hoped that his new friend would be able to support his damaged mentor as they grew closer.

Even as he was thinking this, he heard Thomas’ shouts call after them and he turned back to the Maze, much farther from it than Newt.

“Newt!” Thomas screamed, spinning to call after the boy.  “They’re coming!  I can see ‘em!”

Even from the distance, Chuck could see Thomas turn and lean toward the Maze, seemingly struggling with the decision of whether to go inside and risk his life to help or remain where he was and follow the rules of the Glade.  He saw Newt running as fast as he could toward the Doors, but his limp was holding him back.  Thomas looked back and forth from within the Maze to Newt running at him.  Newt must’ve realized what he was going to do just before he moved.

“Don’t do it, Tommy!  Don’t you bloody do it!” Newt shouted, his voice breaking on the last word just as Thomas moved forward and the Doors slammed shut behind him with finality.  “Tommy!” he screamed, rushing up to and hitting the Doors.  He dropped his head against them and pounded on them with a fist, the tears which had been gathering in his eyes all night spilling over.

Some of the boys heard him yelling and came out of various buildings, only Frypan willing to approach him and ask what had happened.  Newt quietly replied that Alby, Minho, and Thomas were all trapped in the Maze.  He told the boys to get to bed before turning back to face the unyielding Doors, staring blankly at them as he dropped to the ground.  He pulled his knees up to his chest, crossed his arms over them, and set his chin atop his arms, his gaze not deviating from the Doors.  Even after all of the others finally left to go to sleep, he remained in this position for the rest of the night.  Chuck spared him one last pitying glance, knowing that he had just lost three people he loved.

Come morning, Newt was still there, but he was gathering a few people to go with him into the Maze.  He may have lost the three people he cared about the most in the world, but he’d be damned if he didn’t at the very least find what was left of them and honor them with a proper burial.  So after the Runners set out for the day, Newt left with his small group to go out and find his friends and the one that even he didn’t yet realize was something more.

\---

Gally came next, unable to conceal his annoyance that the newcomer had found favor with the leader who didn’t care for him in the slightest.

He wanted to see Thomas get punished.  Sure, so he survived the night in the Maze.  That shouldn’t excuse him from breaking the rules, right?  And after all, Newt’s always all about ‘order,’ saying it’s vital to keep the Glade running at least fairly smoothly.  Now he’s just going to disregard everything for the Greenie that he had a crush on? That wasn’t going to work with him.  The Greenie deserved to be put in the Slammer at the very least, not be rewarded for breaking the rules.

He watched the two during the Gathering, only getting more annoyed with them.  Newt was definitely going to let the Greenie off.  For once, Gally wished for Alby to be there.  At least he would’ve been stricter with the boy’s punishment.  Newt, on the other hand, just kept exchanging sickeningly sweet gazes with Thomas.  After seeing how Newt had reacted the previous night, Gally had been sure that the two were already together, but then he realized that the oblivious idiots had no idea that the other felt the same as they did.  He doubted that they even realized themselves how disgustingly obvious they were being with how they felt, or if they knew that what they were feeling was more than friendship.  All he knew was that this infatuation was affecting him and getting the Greenie special treatment, and he wouldn’t stand for that.  So he called Newt out on it when the boy told him to be quiet, and he recommended punishments for Thomas, all the while expressing how little he deserved praise for breaking the rules.

Thomas and Newt will be great for each other, he decided, glaring angrily at the boys as they smiled at each other.  He was ultimately surprised that Newt had sentenced Thomas to even a single day in the Slammer, but he supposed that the boy had to comply with the demands of the rest of the Keepers.  Still, as they walked out together and Thomas had the remainder of the day free to spend with the blond, he was displeased.

“Get a room already, you two,” he spat at them as he pushed past them, shoving Newt into Thomas.

Thomas’ hands instinctively shot up and grabbed Newt around the waist to steady him as he turned to Gally.

“Got a problem, Gally?” Newt demanded, throwing an arm around Thomas’ shoulders.

“Yeah, I do.  You’re letting the Greenie get away with breaking an important rule, and you’re just giving him a position as a Runner.  You wouldn’t be doing that for anyone else.” His hands curled into fists.

Newt took a step toward him, dropping his arms back to his sides.  “Listen, you bloody shank.  We all agreed on Tommy’s punishment.  And yes, I bloody well would do the same for someone else if they’d managed to survive the night out in the Maze and save two other people while doing it.  The fact that he’s my friend doesn’t have any bloody effect on his sentence.  Now slim it and get out of here.”

“Friend,” Gally scoffed.  “Right.  That’s why he’s ‘Tommy’ and you’re smiling again.  Screw you both or screw each other, I don’t care, but stop acting like I’m a buggin’ idiot.”

“Look, Gally, I don’t know what the shuck is your problem or what you’re even bloody talking about, but you need to stop.  The Gathering is done.  Decisions are final.  You can deal with that or get the shuck away from us.”

Gally rolled his eyes and sneered at them.  “Don’t know what I’m talking about, right.  Well, you slint heads enjoy each other.” He spun on his heel and stormed off.  “Shucking idiots.”

\---

It’s not long after Teresa wakes up that she confronts Thomas about him and Newt because even though she doesn’t know the blond as well as Thomas, she’s not blind and can easily see what even they can’t.

“You don’t remember anything from before the Maze, do you?” she asked him one night while everyone was finishing up their day’s jobs.

Thomas shook his head.  “You seem familiar to me, but that’s all.  Nothing concrete,”

She nodded slowly, contemplatively.  “I think we were together before all of this happened.” She watched Thomas stiffen visibly, but she knew that he had already come to the same conclusion.  There had to be a reason that they could hear each other in their heads, right?  “I get it, though.  Your memory was wiped and you basically started a new life.  I can sort of remember us being together, and I thought we might be now, but I understand that you found someone else.  I mean… I can see that you’re happy, so don’t worry.  I won’t try to break you up and I don’t expect anything from you.  Just… let me know if that ever changes, okay?” she finally looked up at Thomas, only to find him staring at her in confusion.

“I… What are you talking about?” he asked almost incredulously, face going a light pink.  “I don’t…”

Teresa raised her eyebrows at him.  “Yeah, you do.” She stared at him for a moment, but he still looked blankly back.  “Newt?” she prompted.

Thomas shook his head emphatically.  “No, no we’re not—I’m… Teresa, Newt and I aren’t together.”

She stared at him doubtfully.  “Come on, you’re not really that clueless.”

“We’re not together.” He insisted.

“Right, and we’re not trapped here.  Tom, anyone can see that he really cares about you and you feel the same for him.  You’re seriously going to tell me that you’re not a couple?”

“Yeah, I am, cause that’s insane.  There’s no way Newt likes me as more than a friend, and anyway, how stupid would we be to try to have some sort of relationship when this is our life?”

“So you admit that you _want_ to be with him,” Teresa said quickly, smirking slightly.

“I—no, I never said that.” His cheeks flushed a darker red.

“Tom,” she put a hand on his arm.  “You can admit it to me.  I won’t judge you.  In fact, no one here would.  Admit it.”

“Okay, fine!  Yes, I maybe like Newt a bit more than a friend, but he doesn’t feel the same way, so there.   That’s the shucking end of it.” He got to his feet.  “Goodnight, Teresa.”

She rolled her eyes.  “Night, Tom.” As he walked away, she shook her head and smiled after him, fondly saying, “Idiot.”

\---

Minho had been Newt’s closest friend for two years apart from Alby, and he had noticed his friend’s behavior around Thomas close to when Alby had.  His suspicions had been absolutely confirmed after the night that they spent in the Maze, just seeing the two clinging to each other once Newt led the group to find them.  He knew that somehow, in just the few days since he’d arrived, Thomas had already managed to make an immensely positive impact on Newt.  And that was fine; Newt seemed happy again, and Minho liked Thomas well enough.  It didn’t hurt that they’d survived a very near death experience together, solidifying a certain bond between them.  He had decided almost immediately that Newt and Thomas would be good for each other, especially in this place where happiness was in short supply.

So, he tried to offer his support to his best friend, realizing all too quickly that said best friend was an utter moron who couldn’t tell that what he was feeling for Thomas was not a normal friendship—rather, it was something more.  Being the great friend that he was, Minho then took to pointing out all of the times that Newt acted like a lovesick fool, hoping that he would eventually get the point.

_“Newt, would you please stop staring at Thomas and eat your shucking breakfast?”  “Just do me a favor and reinsert your eyes into your head, ya shank.”  “Honestly, you’d think someone just gave you the key to getting the shuck out of here with how happy you get when you look at Thomas.” “Hey, if you ever get tired of staring at your boyfriend, y’know we do have actual important things that we could be doing.”_

He never did.

Finally getting fed up with dealing with all of the new and disastrous events in the Glade and trying to play matchmaker for two stubborn teenagers, Minho eventually decided to sit Newt down and explain to him that Thomas was “shucking in love with you, you blind idiot slint head.”  After several stammered denials from Newt, Minho found that the blond accepted the information that was new only to him rather well and then immediately set out to find Thomas.  Minho sat back on a bed, letting out a sigh of relief that his two friends were finally going to deal with what was going on between them.

\---

“Tommy?” Newt entered Thomas and Chuck’s room to find both of the boys inside.

Thomas sat up in his bed.  “Yeah, what is it?”

“Can I just talk to you for a bit?” he ran a hand through his hair as Thomas nodded and got up to follow him back to his room which was temporarily empty due to Alby being with the med-jacks still.  Thomas shut the door behind them.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, worry already settled behind his eyes.

“No, nothing wrong.  Just wanted to talk about something Minho told me.”

“What’s that?”

“Well,” Newt sat down on the edge of his bed, and he was joined shortly after by Thomas.  “Apparently, I’ve been in love with you since you got here, and I was too bloody stupid to realize it on my own, so Minho knocked some sense into me.  He also said that you might feel the same.” He glanced at Thomas hopefully.

Thomas was silent for a moment before he let out a laugh and nodded.  “Actually, Teresa just did basically the same for me.”

“Really?” a grin spread across Newt’s lips.

“Yeah, really.  I’m stupid, and I didn’t even realize that I was _being_ stupid until she uh…very _clearly_ explained things to me.” He shook his head with another laugh and then shrugged.  “I’m in love with you too.” He said simply.  “I know that everything is going wrong now and that some big ending was triggered and people are dying and it’s all going to klunk… but it’s better with you there, and I should’ve realized that sooner, or at least by myself.”

He met Newt’s gaze as the elder smiled softly at him.  Newt brushed the back of his fingers down Thomas’ cheek and leaned in slightly, bumping their noses together.  Thomas couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter.

“So I’m really not imagining this,” Thomas said almost disbelievingly, his hand rising to cup Newt’s jaw.

“Well Tommy, unless we’re having a joint fantasy, I’d say no.  No imagining going on here.” He said quietly.  His gaze flickered to Thomas’ eyes for a second and then dropped to the boy’s mouth before fluttering closed, and he slowly leaned in to connect their lips.  His fingers curled into Thomas’ shirt, tugging him closer as their lips moved against each other’s.  Thomas bit Newt’s bottom lip between his teeth, eliciting a small noise from the boy who enthusiastically responded.

Newt trailed a hand down Thomas’ arm, stopping at the other boy’s hand and twining their fingers together.  His other hand released Thomas’ shirt to wrap around his waist, spreading his fingers across the other’s back and pulling him closer.  Thomas, in turn, smiled into the kiss and parted his lips for the elder, squeezing the fingers intertwined with his and moving his opposite hand to delve into soft, blond hair.  He tugged at the strands for a moment before settling with it behind Newt’s head, tangled in his hair and holding him close.

Both eventually succumbing to the need to breathe, they pulled back just slightly, foreheads pressed together and eyes still closed.

“Well,” Newt bit his lip and opened his eyes, meeting the chocolate brown gaze now staring back at him.  “I would be a hundred percent willing to do that again.  You?”

Thomas nodded vigorously.  “Yeah.” He panted slightly, smiling.  “We can be how we were, just… with more of this.  That works, right?”

“Definitely,” Newt grinned back before pressing their lips together again for just a few seconds, cupping Thomas’ cheek gently.  When they separated again, he was looking at Thomas lovingly and almost hungrily.  “Love you, Tommy,”

“Love you too, Newt.”

They both leaned in at the same time, Thomas pushing Newt back gently so they were lying on Newt’s bed.  He settled across the blond’s hips, and Newt stretched up to meet him halfway, leaning on one elbow to stay up and burying his free hand in Thomas’ hair.

“Wait,” Newt broke their kiss for a moment.  “Will Chuck be expecting you back tonight?”

Thomas considered that for a moment but then shook his head, smiling.  “I’m pretty sure he figured all this out already.”

“Good that.”

With that, Newt pulled Thomas back down with him, pressing their lips together in a lingering kiss that had them forgetting all about the others for the rest of the night.


End file.
